Streams

Andrew Bird On World Cafe

This segment, from March 30, 2009, is part of our Vintage Cafe series, in which we revisit some of our best studio performances.

Wielding many instruments and a remarkable whistling ability, Andrew Bird has developed an offbeat marriage of classical and pop music over the course of his decade-long career. The musical polymath has never been one to limit his sound, incorporating traditional folk, swing, zydeco, rock, electronica and indie-pop into his work.

Describing his new album, Noble Beast, as a less electric effort, Bird still finds value in carefully chosen words: His sophisticated lyrics read like brilliant poetry written by a romantic biologist, mathematician or historian. Here, in a session with David Dye, Bird explains how moving from the city to a farm has had a positive effect on his creative process. He also clarifies his particular use of vocabulary, including the scientifically specialized terms that frequent his lyrics.

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